If you were to take the experimental aesthetic of Duran Duran’s much maligned yet highly underrated Medazzaland and combine it with a current artist like Julien-K you might have an inkling of an idea of what to expect when traversing the New Wave meets Electro world of Black Sugar Transmission. The brainchild of Andee Blacksugar (KMFDM, Peter Murphy), Black Sugar Transmission return with the first of THREE planned releases this year and if the rest sound anything at all like Wandering Into The Bullseye does then music fans are in for quite the sonic treat in 2020.
If all you know of multi-instrumentalist Andee Blacksugar is the recent work he’s done with KMFDM then prepare to have your world expanded a la Neo in The Matrix (Sans the killer robots) with Wandering Into The Bullseye serving as a template of this new music revolution. “Like Glass” is almost a false flag of what’s to come as this kind of a cabaret with a Queen-sized vocal arrangement kicks the album off. Then “You Are A Crime” drops and introduces listeners to Blacksugar’s smooth snarl with hints of Damon Albarn and Jay Gordon amidst a throbbing backdrop that absolutely hums.
“Rescue Sirens” is soaked in attitude hitting those DD Medazzaland notes mixed with All You Need Is Now and an “I Love Rock And Roll” bravado as Blacksugar’s falsetto sinks into a sexy croon and his guitars provide some funk while “Lovely People” focuses on some shreddy soloing, built on a solitary riff with a pulsating synth line keeping everything on track.
“Our Time Won’t Come” is in another realm, almost an Electro utopia. You know that part in the flick where the score heralds something ominous on the horizon? That’s “Our Time Won’t Come”. And speaking of movies, “Padlock’s On The Case” is like the soundtrack to a spy thriller not yet made. Part Mission: Impossible, part James Bond with this sultry groove that Chk Chk Chk do so well, this ditty’s got the bass and the beats and Blacksugar’s alluring voice uniting it all.
Later on, “Something Better” looks forward in time and is a burgeoning, futuristic odyssey showcasing Blacksugar’s vocal range. “Deplorable” is an exquisite synth-driven rawker, “At The Filling Station” features a main riff from Blacksugar that has this demented carnival vibe Oingo Boingo used to master so well, and “Rotting In My Castle” is this perfect merger of guitars with Electro.
Concluding with “Across This Night”, Wandering Into The Bullseye ends with a dense and delightful foray into more synthetic bliss as it drifts into the ether leaving listeners gasping for air and anxiously awaiting what’s next in the trilogy.
Wandering Into The Bullseye is the first of three (!!!) planned releases slated for 2020 with this particular opus set to be unveiled to the masses in February. For the most up-to-date info on pre-orders and release plans, as well as where you can catch Blacksugar on the road, head over here or here. And for a taste of what’s in store, check out the Black Sugar Transmission discography by clicking here.